Madeira’s only AIMA service counter, located at the Citizens’ Shop in Funchal, closed on Tuesday, the 6th of October, as staff joined a 24-hour strike.
DIÁRIO visited the premises and confirmed that none of the employees expected to provide public services were working.
The strike was called by the Union of Migration Technicians (STM), which accused António Leitão Amaro, the minister responsible for the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum, of failing to engage in negotiations.
Speaking to DIÁRIO, union representative Manuela Niza Ribeiro said staff felt they were being treated unfairly compared with employees of other public bodies involved in immigration, including the National Republican Guard (GNR).
Although she had no figures for participation in Madeira, she expected strong support, reflecting the situation on the mainland, where she reported that more than 50% of staff had joined the strike during the early morning.
She warned that even where some counters remained open, the stoppage would significantly affect the processing of ongoing cases.
The union is calling for a dedicated technical career structure recognising the specialist and complex nature of migration work, together with a pay supplement equivalent to that received by PSP and GNR personnel carrying out border control duties.
Its demands also include more staff and technical resources, an end to insecure employment arrangements for cultural mediators, and opposition to the transfer of AIMA’s permanent responsibilities to Local Support Centres for Migrant Integration (CLAIM).
The strike comes amid instability in the agency’s management. STM is seeking stable leadership with migration experience and says it received no response to its request for a meeting with the minister.
Migrants approached by DIÁRIO at the Citizens’ Shop on Tuesday morning declined to comment.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
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